The New York Yankees wrap up their three-game series against the Houston Astros tonight at Daikin Field, looking for a series win and hoping to rebound from last night’s debacle.
On Wednesday, New York carried a 4–1 lead into the bottom of the sixth behind another strong start from Will Warren (5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Ks) and home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and Austin Wells. But the bullpen faltered again: Luke Weaver surrendered the lead in the seventh, and none other than Devin Williams gave up four runs in the eighth as Houston pulled away.
The Yankees mounted a rally in the ninth when Cody Bellinger blasted a three-run homer to cut the deficit to one. But Jazz Chisholm struck out looking on a borderline call just off the plate, sealing the loss.
With the defeat, the Yankees slipped 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the division race, though they held steady in the Wild Card standings as the Boston Red Sox also lost. Boston’s loss came with additional bad news: rookie star Roman Anthony may miss the remainder of the regular season with an oblique injury.
Carlos Rodón takes the mound for New York tonight. He’s been exceptional as of late, returning to his early-season form. Rodón enters with a 2.43 ERA over his last five starts, including a one-run, one-hit performance against Boston in August.
Cristian Javier gets the start for Houston. He’s been somewhat uneven in four starts since returning from Tommy John surgery, but trending toward amazing. Javier was hit hard by the Baltimore Orioles in a two-inning outing but rebounded with six no-hit innings against the Los Angeles Angels, flashing the form that made him a force in 2022.
That’s bad news for the Yankees, whose big bats are unsuccessful against him. Aaron Judge is 0-for-13 lifetime against Javier, while Stanton is 1-for-9 with a lone home run.
Predictions
Given Javier’s success against New York’s biggest bats and his sharpest outing coming just last week, the Astros have the edge.
Prediction: Astros 4, Yankees 2
Starting Lineups
New York Yankees
1. Trent Grisham – CF
2. Ben Rice – 1B
3. Aaron Judge – DH
4. Cody Bellinger – RF
5. Giancarlo Stanton – LF
6. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 2B
7. Austin Wells – C
8. Anthony Volpe – SS
9. Ryan McMahon – 3B
Starting Pitcher: Carlos Rodón — 15–7, 3.18 ERA
Houston Astros
1. Jeremy Peña – SS
2. Yordan Alvarez – LF
3. Jose Altuve – DH
4. Carlos Correa – 3B
5. Christian Walker – 1B
6. Yanier Diaz – C
7. Cam Smith – RF
8. Ramon Urias – 2B
9. Mauricio Dubon – CF
Starting Pitcher: Cristian Javier — 1–1, 3.38 ERA
How to Watch Yankees vs. Astros
First pitch for tonight’s game is set for 7:40 PM Eastern / 6:40 PM Central at Daikin Park in Houston.
The game airs live nationally on MLB Network for out-of-market viewers and streams live on MLB.TV. Local fans can tune in on YES Network (New York) and Space City Home Network (Houston).
For the cord-cutters out there without an active livestreaming plan, you can watch the MLB Network for free by taking advantage of free trials from DIRECTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, or Fubo TV.
New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros
Date: Thursday, September 4, 2025
First Pitch: 7:40 PM Eastern / 6:40 PM Central
Venue: Daikin Park — Houston, TX
TV: MLB Network (out-of-market), YES Network (New York), Space City Home Network (Houston)
Streaming: MLB.TV, Gotham Sports
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